Sansa, who had just left Harry's solar, ran to find her mother. Somehow, the image of the Septa didn't come to mind at that moment.
Instead, it was her mother, who was the reason the Faith of the Seven was in the North.
Running through the castle and out of the keep, Sansa followed the cement paths until she reached the greenhouse. She knew her mother usually watered the plants at that time.
"Mother," Sansa said, looking at her as she watered the plants with a peaceful smile.
"Sansa! Dear, why are you in such a state?" Catelyn said in surprise when she saw her. Her hair was somewhat disheveled, and she was breathing quickly.
"Mother, I want to ask you something," Sansa said before quickly looking around and noticing with relief that no one was there.
"Tell me," Catelyn said, raising her eyebrows slightly at her daughter's expression.
"Did you know that Harry can use magic?" Sansa asked in a rather low voice as she approached her mother.
Catelyn remained silent before sighing and setting the watering can on the ground.
"I know," Catelyn said, nodding.
"So I was the only one who didn't know," Sansa said with a wry smile.
"Harry didn't tell me. When I had Rickon, things became a little complicated. Harry was quite young back then, but he entered the room and threw all the midwives out. He could be quite intimidating for a child," Catelyn said, somewhat amused.
"He made me drink a potion and placed his hands on my abdomen. I felt a warm current that helped me through that ordeal. I wonder if I would be here if it weren't for that," Catelyn said, taking her daughter's face in her hands.
"Your brother's potions are quite famous in the North. Not only have they helped with agriculture and livestock, they've kept our family safe."
"But the Faith of the Seven..." Sansa said doubtfully.
Catelyn sighed before smiling.
"What is your name?" Catelyn asked.
"Sansa," she said unconsciously.
"Just Sansa?" Catelyn asked.
"Sansa Stark," she said more seriously.
"That's right, you're Sansa Stark. There are important things in the world, your beliefs, your desires, but they must not come before your family. Even if one day you marry and leave the North, you must never forget that you're a Stark," Catelyn said, stroking her daughter's head.
She herself had struggled with the matter of magic for quite some time, but it was impossible for her to think badly of her son. Magic was said to be sinful and blasphemous.
But despite wielding it skillfully, her son didn't seem to display any of those traits.
The compassion he showed toward the people and the good he had brought them were unlike anything she had ever seen or heard of before.
"In fact, it's an open secret in the North that Harry can use magic. The thing is, magic isn't viewed the same way in the North as it is in the South," Catelyn said, smiling at her daughter.
"Harry said I have the gift of magic and that he could teach me if I wanted," Sansa said, looking at her mother, who seemed a little surprised.
"That's good. What better way to know if magic is bad than by learning it? That way, you'll decide how to use it," Catelyn said with a smile as she placed her hand on her daughter's head.
"And if magic isn't bad, wouldn't the Faith be wrong?" Sansa asked, looking at her mother.
"That's something you have to decide for yourself," Catelyn said, smiling at her daughter.
Sansa nodded slightly before walking back.
Catelyn's smile faded slightly as she silently mocked her own words. Hadn't she already decided?
The Septa had asked her about the rumors, but Catelyn had simply played dumb, saying they were only rumors.
Shaking her head, she looked at the watering can before continuing with what she had been doing.
Sansa ran back toward her brother's solar, feeling a little guilty about the way she had left. It wasn't that she was rejecting him. Even before speaking with her mother, the bright halo surrounding her brother hadn't diminished in the slightest in her mind.
It was just that one thing was for her brother to be a wizard, and another for her to be one as well.
Looking at the door, Sansa felt nervous. She still had a certain mental barrier about it, but as her mother had said, it was best for her to judge for herself.
Taking a deep breath, Sansa put on a determined expression.
Opening the door to the solar, Sansa's eyes widened before her face turned the same color as her hair. Without saying anything, she quickly closed the door and fled.
Val's melodious laughter was the last thing Sansa heard as she ran toward her room in embarrassment.
….
Harry was reclining in a rocking chair while holding his son. He had become quite handsome, not as wrinkled and ugly as when he was born.
As Harry playfully tickled him, the little one let out soft giggles while Harry's hands chased him. Looking at his toothless smile, Harry couldn't help laughing as well.
"Do you think he's cute, Nyx?" Harry said, showing her the baby.
Nyx sniffed the human pup before growling, recognizing him as her father's offspring.
With a sudden smile, Harry sat Artos on Nyx's head.
Nyx growled in dissatisfaction as she looked at Harry.
"Come on, he's clean. I personally changed his diaper," Harry said, laughing when he heard her growl.
Nyx growled in different tones as if she were talking, drawing several smiles from Harry.
"You're such a crybaby," Harry said, looking at her.
Suddenly, the door to the room opened before a small scream came from behind him.
"Harry!" Barbrey said, unconsciously letting out a cry of shock. She felt as though her heart stopped for an instant when she saw her son sitting on the dragon's head.
Measuring at least three meters from head to tail, Nyx looked truly frightening. Her head was already large enough to bite off a human head.
Taking a deep breath and calming herself, Barbrey quickly regained her composure. Harry might be very young, but he wasn't irresponsible.
"Don't worry, she won't do anything to him," Harry said, rolling his eyes.
Nyx also looked at the stupid human, growling at her disdainfully.
"What happened? Is playtime with Dad over?" Harry said with a smile as he lifted his son off Nyx's head and into his arms.
"It's time to eat," Barbrey said with a smile.
"Well, that's good," Harry said, giving her a suggestive smile.
Barbrey rolled her eyes as she took Artos from him and sat down. Opening her blouse, she freed a pale breast, from which Artos happily drank.
Without teasing her any further, Harry sat on the floor and leaned against Nyx. Her warmth was always pleasant.
She stretched out her neck and rested it on his lap, letting Harry rub her scales and the area between her horns.
"When Artos turns one, I think I'll return to Barrowton," Barbrey said suddenly as she looked at her son.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the enormous dragon. The mere sight of Nyx never ceased to amaze Barbrey, and the dragon's existence made her feel even more secure about her plans.
The influence Harry would gain from having a dragon would leave no room for anyone to question her son's right to inherit Barrowton.
"You don't have to leave," Harry said, looking at her.
"It's been too long. It's time to go back," Barbrey said, shaking her head.
If it weren't for her desire to create a bond between Harry and Artos, she would have returned long ago.
In her castle, she was a queen, but at Winterfell she would always be a guest.
"Only if that's what you want," Harry said, nodding.
"When the train passes through Barrowton, it'll be easy to come and go," Barbrey said, nodding.
"That's right, but that's still a year or two away," Harry said with a smile.
"Hmm, by the way, have you heard the rumors from the maids in the castle?" Barbrey asked, looking at Harry.
"Oh? Which ones?" Harry asked with interest.
"They say ghosts have been roaming the castle. The maids swear they've seen balls of light floating and moving past the castle windows," Barbrey said with a chuckle.
"That's a really interesting rumor," Harry said, bursting into laughter, assuming that Arya, Sansa, and Daenerys were responsible.
It had been a week since he had given them the wands, and for such a simple spell, that was about what he had expected.
He had thought they would come to him sooner, but perhaps a simple Lumos was enough to entertain someone who had just discovered magic.
At that very moment, there was a knock at the door to his room. Calling softly for whoever it was to come in, he saw Daenerys enter.
Coincidentally, one of the ghosts had arrived.
"Are you busy?" Daenerys asked with a smile as she looked at Harry leaning against Nyx.
"No, come in and sit down," Harry said, shaking his head.
"She doesn't stop growing," Daenerys said softly as she crouched beside her neck and gently touched her.
Nyx barely opened one eye to look at her before closing it again.
Barbrey was speechless when she noticed that the girl hadn't even realized she was in the room. She couldn't entirely blame her, considering the dragon in the room.
Daenerys was a relatively new face in the castle, and although she didn't show it, Barbrey didn't like her.
She was too beautiful.
Even so, she tried to tell herself that it was none of her business.
"Did you have fun this week?" Harry asked, looking at Daenerys with a smile.
"Hmm, it's really interesting. I want to learn more," Daenerys said with a broad smile. Magic was fascinating.
"Sure, let's go to your room," Harry said, nodding.
"I can leave if you want," Barbrey said, rolling her eyes.
Daenerys almost jumped when she heard a voice coming from behind her. It was only then that she realized with embarrassment that Lady Dustin and her son were there.
"I'd feel bad if I said yes, so don't worry. I'll go to her room. Be careful when you go downstairs," Harry said, looking at her as he scratched Nyx's scales to get her to let him go.
Barbrey chuckled at Harry's words, not really minding.
She simply cradled her son's head gently while humming softly, left alone in Nyx's company.
Harry went downstairs with Daenerys to her room.
She quickly slipped her hand into the front of her dress and pulled out the wand.
"Not a bad hiding place," Harry said with a laugh, since many witches in his world also happened to keep theirs there.
Daenerys smiled somewhat shyly when she noticed Harry's gaze.
"Lumos is the easiest spell there is, in my opinion. Let's move on to one that's a little more complicated," Harry said, looking around the room before focusing on a piece of furniture.
"Wingardium Leviosa," Harry said, extending his hand and pointing it toward the piece of furniture.
Daenerys watched in fascination as the furniture began to float.
"Try it with small, light things to start, like your pillow or jewelry," Harry said before going into the technical details of how to perform the spell.
"Wingardium Leviosa," Daenerys said, pointing her wand toward the pillow. It trembled slightly before becoming still.
"Keep practicing," Harry said with a smile.
"Hmm," Daenerys said seriously, clenching her fist, knowing that magic could become one of the most important tools on her path to the throne.
"Are you still using the bow?" Harry asked, looking at her.
"Hmm, you said you can't always use magic, right?" Daenerys said, nodding.
"That's right, magic should be your last resort," Harry said, nodding with satisfaction.
A brief silence lingered between them before Daenerys looked at him.
"I wonder how my brother is doing. Did he run away because he couldn't fulfill the agreement with the Dothraki? Or maybe he simply said he would hand me over once they conquered Westeros?" Daenerys said, sitting on her bed.
"Khal Drogo only had 40 thousand men as far as I know. Do you think it's possible for him to conquer the entire continent with so few men?"
"Not to mention that they must be terrible sailors. If the royal fleet intercepted them, they would suffer heavy losses."
"The plan had many problems from the beginning," Harry said, looking at Daenerys.
"And your brother, well, he should start facing reality. He'll never be a king," Harry said with a shrug.
"Even so, he's my brother. I hate him for how he's treated me these past few years, but my feelings get complicated when I remember my childhood with him, when he sold our possessions to feed me."
"He never left me behind, and he always told me with a smile that everything was fine," Daenerys said sadly.
"Then look for him in the future and find out how he's doing. If he managed to survive with a little girl following him around, he has even more reason to survive on his own," Harry said, half consoling her.
"I suppose so," Daenerys said, nodding with a hesitant expression, thinking that perhaps she could look for him once her magic was powerful enough.
"By the way, how difficult is it to become invisible like you did when you entered my room?" Daenerys asked, looking at him.
"It's much more difficult than creating a little light. It requires quite a lot of control and focus. Let's wait a year or two and see how well you do," Harry said, shaking his head.
"And tell me... how good am I at magic?" Daenerys asked hesitantly. She wanted to know whether Arya and Sansa had perhaps already learned more things, but she was embarrassed to ask directly.
"You're talented. Just learn at a pace you're comfortable with," Harry said with a soft laugh.
Daenerys simply pouted, not getting the answer she had hoped for.
"I've never asked you this, but how do you know so much about magic?" Daenerys asked, looking at Harry curiously.
"Is this an interrogation or a magic lesson?" Harry said, looking at her.
"Come on, I'm curious," Daenerys said with a shy smile.
"That... is a secret," Harry said, smiling at her before leaving her to practice.
Daenerys pouted before looking at her pillow again with determination.
Going down from the tower, Harry reached the training yard. There he saw almost the entire group gathered, and as usual, they had drinks in their hands.
"Hey, what's new?" Harry said, sitting among his friends.
"Well, Lord Stark finally came out of his castle. Are your son's diapers clean already?" Smalljon said, bursting into laughter.
"If you don't shut your mouth, I'll make you wear them," Harry shot back.
Smalljon simply gave him the middle finger as he took a large swig of his drink.
"Come on, Roger, you say something too. After all, he's your nephew," Daryn said with a laugh.
The entire group laughed as Roger put on a stiff expression.
"Enough, don't bother my brother-in-law," Harry said with a frown, causing the group to burst into even louder laughter.
Roger merely smiled wryly. His sister was much older than him; he had been barely a child when she left House Ryswell.
He didn't think much about the fact that Harry was with his sister, but he did find it annoying when they made fun of him.
"Well, if we're keeping count, Harry has probably spread his bloodline into two important houses. Given the chance, maybe all the Houses will end up joined together," Domeric said with an amused smile.
Perhaps he was the only one who could joke about it. Among the Boltons, there were only him and his brother; there were no women.
"Don't forget that Artos is your cousin. Technically, Harry is your uncle," Theon said with a loud laugh.
Domeric gave Theon a stiff look as everyone else laughed.
They all continued joking about it before the subject eventually shifted to their next trip.
"Guys, I'm a family man now. I can't go on those trips anymore," Harry said, pretending it was a shame.
"Maybe you just don't want to get out of bed? I still say we should go to Lys," Theon said before wrapping an arm around Jon's neck.
"What do you say? Don't you want to know what a Valyrian woman feels like?" Theon said with a laugh.
"I prefer Northern women," Jon said with a shrug.
"Women from Essos can't handle much," Smalljon agreed with a suggestive smile.
"Just look at you. If you got on top of a woman, you'd probably crush her," Dacey said mockingly.
"Is it true they ended up charging you more when we went to Pentos?" Harry said, holding back a laugh.
"Hmph," Smalljon snorted in a bad mood, clearly not wanting to answer, but that was enough to make everyone burst into laughter.
"I think I heard the brothel madam complaining that the girl wouldn't be able to keep working that day," Harrion said, his face red from laughing so much.
Harry laughed as he shook his head. They really were ridiculous.
----
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